Ode To A Friend
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: Can Rogue save her dying friend?


Title: "Ode to a Friend"  
Author: Pirate Sparrow  
Rating: G  
Summary: Can Rogue save her dying friend?  
Disclaimer: Rogue, Logan/Wolverine, Quicksilver, Siryn, Cody, and the X-Men are all © & TM Marvel comics and are used without permission. Everything else is © & TM the author, Pirate Sparrow. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction.

The phone was about to ring off the wall. Ah could hear its shrill scream as Ah frantically tried to unlock the door and not drop mah packages. It was a hot Summer Saturday, and everybody else was either at the beach or in town, still shopping. Ah had finished mine early, and, since Ah wasn't feeling too well, had decided to return home. Ah finally managed to get the door unlocked and get inside only to hear the phone stop ringing.

Ah went up to mah room and put mah packages away and decided to take a shower and wash mah hair. As Ah was heading toward the bathroom, the phone began to ring again. Its shrill scream made me think somebody had griped Siryn's rear and set her off.

Grabbing the phone as though it was a live snake, Ah said, "Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning. How may Ah help you?"

From the phone came the voice of a ghost from mah past. "Maddie, is that you?" Ah managed to choke out.

"Yeah, Shugah, it's me. Ah hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Jack has been hurt."

"How bad?"

"They don't expect him to live."

"Oh mah God!" was mah shocked response. Ah fell to mah knees and started crying. Maddie and Jack were the only friends Ah had made before joining the X-Men that were still mah friends. They still lived in Caldecott County, Mississippi. "Maddie, tell him to hold on. Ah'm comin' home, but don't tell anybody else. Ah'll be there as soon as Ah can."

Mah shaking hand put the phone back in its cradle. Ah ran to mah closet and took out a pair of jeans, a shirt, and a few other necessary items and clothes and put them into a knapsack. Ah hastily scribbled a note, tellin' everyone Ah'd be gone a few days. Ah stuck it on the refrigerator with a butterfly magnet.

Ah went outside and begun to fly toward Caldecott County, Mississippi. As Ah flew, memories begun to run through mah mind. Ah remembered standin' on a bank overlookin' the old swimmin' hole and Jack showin' me how to make a highdive. The memory seemed so strong that Ah could hear the laughter of the other kids who were swimmin'. It was a happy memory that happened before mah mutant power became known, and then the memory of the day mah power became known - when Ah kissed Cody and put him into a coma. Jack and Maddie were the only ones who didn't turn against me. In fact, Jack stepped between mah father and me when he was beatin' me after that incident.

Ah may have had to leave, but their memory had stayed inside mah heart, a constant reminder of our love for each other, and now Jack was dyin'. How Ah wished Ah could save him! Mah heart felt as though it would break. Ah saw the hospital approachin' and began to descend. Ah had been gone so long that nobody recognized me which was wonderful.

Ah asked the receptionist which room Jack Barner was in. She said ICU and that only the family was allowed to see him. Ah told her that Ah was his cousin and that Ah had just flown in from Westchester County, New York, so Ah was allowed to go in. He had so many tubes in him that he looked more like a machine than a man. He had cuts and bruises.

The minute Ah walked in, Maddie looked up and saw me. She said very softly, "Jack, Rogue is here."

Ah went over to Jack. Ah reached out and took his hand in mah gloved hand. With mah other hand, Ah reached out and took Maddie's. She squeezed mah hand back. Ah whispered to Jack, "Ah love ya, Shugah." Ah could feel a gentle, weak pressure from Jack. Ah felt a lump risin' in mah throat, and Ah knew Ah would have to get out of there or Ah would totally break down. "Maddie, can ya come with me a minute?" Ah hated to drag her away from him, but Ah didn't want to talk in front of him, and Ah needed to know what was wrong with him.

Ah led her over to the elevator. While she watched for other people comin', Ah opened the door, exposin' the elevator shaft, and flew with her up to the roof. Once on the roof, she began to tell me that Jack had lung cancer and that the doctors didn't expect him to live through the morning.

"How long has he been sick?"

"He was diagnosed six months ago with lung cancer."

"Why didn't y'all tell me?"

"Jack didn't want ya to know, because he knew if ya found out, you'd return and suffer, and he didn't want that to happen. He is so proud of you and the work that you do."

"Ah have loved y'all for as long as Ah can remember, Maddie! Ah would do anything Ah could to prevent this from happening!"

"Ah know that, Shugah," she replied.

Ah gave her a quick hug and then walked with her back down to ICU. On the way down, a plan begun to form in mah mind. Why couldn't Ah help Jack? Mah power of absorption might be able to help him, but there was also the danger of puttin' him in a coma. Was it worth the risk to him? Ah knew it was to me. On the way back, Ah explained to Maddie what Ah wanted to do and that it was very dangerous, but if it worked, it would quite possibly save Jack's life. Ah didn't tell her it would be dangerous for me as well. Ah didn't have to - she read between the lines and knew!

Love shown on her face and concern showed in her voice, "What can Ah do to help you?" She knew not to try and stop me once mah mind was made up.

"If something should go wrong, Ah want ya to call this number and tell them what happened. They are the X-Men and mah other family. Ah couldn't bear for them to think Ah had just skipped out on them." Tears showed in her eyes as we entered the room. Ah saw them - Ah don't know if they were for me or for her brother. "Best stand back, Shugah, and let a gal do what a gal's gotta do!" Ah said as Ah approached Jack. "Jack, Shugah, this is gonna hurt, but, with any luck, the pain is gonna go away real soon."

Meanwhile, Maddie had slipped from the room unobserved to use a telephone. She frantically dialed the number and was rewarded when a gruff voice answered the phone, "Xavier's Institute." She cut him off with "Y'all don't know me, but if y'all love Rogue..." and hurriedly explained the situation to a very upset Logan. He got directions to the hospital and then paged Quicksilver. Quicksilver got a good grip on Logan and then, faster than he had ever run before, took off for the hospital.

Meanwhile, back in the room, Ah had made skin contact with Jack's chest in the area over both lungs and began to absorb the cancer. A blinding white light seemed to envelope me, and a searing pain cut through mah chest. As the cancer left Jack's body and entered mine, Ah managed to pull mahself away from him, stagger away from the bed, and collapse to the floor. Ah didn't know if he was in a coma, but Ah knew he no longer had the cancer.

Just as Ah was slippin' into unconsciousness, Ah heard, "Oh my God, Little Darlin', what have ya done to yerself this time?"

Ah didn't know it, but Wolverine had traveled faster than Quicksilver had ever traveled before to reach me. He picked me up and put me in an empty bed.

Meanwhile, Maddie had gone for a nurse who was a friend of hers. She had kept all nosy people away from us during our visit. Her name was Katey, and she was Jack's true love. She knew who Ah was and who Wolverine was. She knew what Ah had done, and she knew what she had to do. She started a blood transfusion from Wolverine going to me. Wasn't long 'fore Ah was able to sit up and check out mah surroundings. Wolverine had lain down on the bed beside me, his head toward mah feet, and when Ah sat up and looked at him, he had the biggest grin Ah've ever seen on his face.

"Don't know what I'm gonna do with ya, Little Darlin'. Everytime I turn my back on ya, ya get into trouble, and yer wearin' ol' Wolvie out." He reached over and gave me a great big hug.

Katey came back into the room, and Maddie introduced us. Ah don't remember ever bein' so tired. She told me to get some rest, but Ah wanted to see Jack first. Ah took Wolverine's arm, and we walked over to Jack's bed. Ah looked down at him, scared to death Ah had put him in a coma, but Maddie reached out and touched him, and he opened his eyes.

"Ah don't know how to thank ya, Rogue, for savin' mah life."

"No thanks necessary, Shugah. Ya'd have done the same for me." Ah touched mah gloved hand to mah lips and touched it to his. "Ah love ya forever, Jack, but now it's time for me to go home." Ah hugged Maddie good-bye, and Ah told Jack, "Remember to invite us back for your weddin', Shugah." And then, as dawn was breakin', Wolverine, Quicksilver, and Ah went home.

**The End**


End file.
